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Richie has never had a favourite colour.
Not like his friend Ben, who's favourite colour was orange like Beverly's hair, or his friend Stan who's favourite colour was light grey like the feathers on a mockingbird. No, Richie has never had a favourite colour.
That's why tonight Richie was wearing a white shirt. Nothing fancy. He usually wore bright obnoxiously patterned Hawaiian shirts, but he knew if he showed up in one of them that Eddie would kill him. Literally, he would murder Richie. He might be small but wow, he had a firey temper on him.
So a white shirt it was. Along with his nicest pair of jeans, and an attempt to style his unruly hair. Richie noted to himself that this was probably the most effort he'd ever voluntarily put into his appearance.
Richie checked his reflection in the window of his car, attempting - and failing - to flatten his hair, before giving up and turning around to face the house in front of him.
He knew this house. He had been in this house a million times. He probably spent more time in this house growing up than he had in his own. This was nothing new.
Taking a deep breath, Richie allowed himself to move forward, to walk up the driveway to the familiar house. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could, it swung open.
Richie's heart stopped. This was it, this was the moment he had been waiting for since he was eleven and now here he was and he was probably going to die of cardiac arrest.
"Eddie..." Richie said, his voice barely audible. For the first time in his life, Richie was at a loss for words.
"Hi Richie," Eddie said shyly, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Richie on the cheek. "Let me just grab my keys and then we can go, okay?"
Richie just nodded dumbly, his brain not being able to generate a response right now.
He watched Eddie disappear back inside his house, then watched him reappear a few seconds later, keys in hand. He stepped outside and pulled the door shut, locking it behind him.
"You ready to go?" Eddie asked, turning to face him.
Richie looked at Eddie, taking in his appearance fully. The shorter boy wore a pale blue sweater with black skinny jeans and light blue converse. Atop his head, perched on perfect brunette waves, was a pastel blue flower crown.
"Richie? Are you okay? You're just staring at me and not saying anything?" Eddie asked nervously, reaching out to grab Richie's hand and threading their fingers together.
Richie looked at their entwined hands. Eddie's fingernails were painted blue.
Richie felt a surge of love for the boy in front of him.
"Of course I'm alright Eddie Spaghetti, I'm here with you aren't I?" Richie asked, a smirk on his face as he used their joint hands to pull Eddie in close to him. Their chests were pressed together and Eddie was looking up at Richie, their faces just inches apart.
Eddie pulled his hand away from Richie's, and looped both his arms around Richie's neck. Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie's lower back and pulled him in impossibly closer so that they were pressed together completely.
"You're such a dork," Eddie said affectionately, his eyes flicking from Richie's eyes to his lips, and then back.
"Maybe...but I'm your dork," Richie replied, leaning down to catch Eddie's lips in a kiss.
Eddie responded eagerly, moving his mouth against Richie's in a practiced motion. Richie ran his tongue along Eddie's bottom lip, and Eddie opened his mouth, allowing Richie to deepen the kiss. Eddie only pulled away when he felt one of Richie's hands move from his back and slide into the back pocket of Eddie's jeans.
"Mm-Richie," Eddie mumbled against the other boy's lips, pulling away from the kiss. Richie chased his lips and pressed another kiss against them. "Richie. We. Should. Go." Eddie said, in between quick kisses.
"But this is so funnn" Richie whined, pressing his forehead against Eddie's.
Eddie just rolled his eyes and unwrapped his arms from around Richie's neck, and grabbed Richie's hand to pull him towards the car.
"Later" Eddie promised with a wink, and Richie's heart stopped for the second time that night.
--
Kissing Eddie, now that was nothing new to Richie. He and Eddie had been doing, well they had been doing whatever it is that they do for a few weeks now, ever since the day that Eddie had pressed his lips against Richie's as they stood on top of the cliff at the quarry.
He and Eddie had been the last ones left to jump down into the water, Eddie having being hesitant to jump as usual.
"Live a little, Eds," Richie had told him. Eddie had turned to look at him, then marched forward with determination. He had reached up and threaded his fingers through Richie's hair, using it to pull his head down and then he had kissed Richie firmly, and without warning.
The kiss had lasted all of 3 seconds before Eddie had pulled away.
"Don't call me Eds," He had said, then turned and ran towards the cliff, jumping off without hesitation for the first time.
Richie had stood, shocked for a second, before shouting out in happiness. Then he had ran after Eddie and jumped off of the cliff into the water below.
But now, as Richie sat in his car, Eddie in the passenger seat, Richie wasn't sure how to act.
Yeah, he was the one who had asked Eddie out on a date. And Eddie had blushed and smiled shyly and said, 'yes, of course he would go out with Richie, he thought he would never ask.'
When Eddie had opened the door, its like a floodgate had been opened in Richie's mind. Thoughts of them holding hands in the hallway, thoughts of them celebrating anniversaries, thoughts of them leaving this shithole of a town together. It made Richie nervous.
"Are you okay?" Eddie asked him, disrupting Richie from his thoughts.
"Yeah I'm good" Richie replied, with a smile that Eddie returned. Richie reached over to rest his hand on Eddie's thigh, winking at him when he raised an eyebrow. Eddie just rolled his eyes.
--
It didn't take long for them to reach their destination, Richie pulling over to park while Eddie peered out the window.
"We're going for ice cream?" Eddie asked, his face lighting up with a smile.
Richie nodded, a fond expression on his face as he watched Eddie get excited. He had chosen this for their date because it's something that they had done since they were young, but they hadn't been in a while as just the two of them.
"Come on now, Eddie Spaghetti, the night is young and so are we!" Richie exclaimed, putting on his best southern accent.
"Beep beep Richie," Eddie said, climbing out of the car and adjusting the flower crown on his head.
Richie did the same, locking the car door and slinging his arm around Eddie's shoulders. They walked into the ice cream shop like this, parting ways when Eddie went to sit in a booth and Richie walked up to the counter to order.
"Bubblegum, right?" Richie called out to Eddie.
"Yep!" Eddie replied, without turning around.
Richie ordered it, and he ordered a chocolate cone for himself. He paid and went to join Eddie in the booth.
"Here you go babe" Richie said, handing Eddie the ice cream.
Eddie raised his eyebrow, but didn't say anything. It wasn't the first time that Richie had called Eddie an affectionate name like babe, or baby, but it was the first time that he had done it without Eddie's lips on his neck, or without Eddie's hands under his shirt.
The two boys talked whilst they ate their ice cream. It was no different to any other time that they hung out, but both boys were more aware of every flirty comment, of every lingering touch.
Richie was so much more aware of the way that Eddie's eyes lit up when he laughed, of the way Eddie's hair curled around his ears.
And god was he aware of the way that Eddie's tongue was flicking out to lick his ice cream, and the way Eddie was purposely making eye contact with him while he did it.
"Eddie you have, um," Richie started "You have ice cream, on your um, lip," he mumbled, gesturing to the blue smudge on Eddie's bottom lip.
"Oh, do I?" Eddie brought his hand up to wipe at his lip, completely missing the area that the ice cream was on.
"No, here, let me," Richie said, and leaned in to kiss Eddie. He swiped his tongue along Eddie's lip, and then pulled back. "There, got it."
"Thanks" Eddie whispered, his cheeks dusted with a pink blush.
Richie looked at him, at the blue flower crown on his head, and his lips stained blue.
Richie had a favourite colour, he realised. His favourite colour was blue.